Meditation in the Dark
While in Pondicherry I visited an ashram for meditation that needs a story written and never got the chance while in India. I'm home now but the memories are still fresh.
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram was the home of not only Sri Aurobindo but The Mother as well. The Mother created Auroville and it's her dream that keeps the place growing. She was french but came to India and became a spiritual guru to many.
We walked into the compound- a walled -in but open sky gymnasium. People lined the walls, some sitting some standing. In the middle , on the sandy covered ground were 10 or so devotees dressed in blue shorts and white crisp shirts. The women had white turban like hats on their heads. A bit Nora Desmond ala India. The devottees were all well over 60 and marched back and forth the length of the compound to barking orders in French. First they just went back and forth on their strong but spindly legs. I worried that one gentleman's legs would completely bow and he'd fall over. And then they began synchronized calistenics for a few counts follwed by marching and then a halt to continue the synchronized calistenics. All this orchestrated by the microphoned Un, Duex, Trois, Quatre.
What the hell was going on? This isn't what I imagined meditation to be. The marching stopped and all the people around moved into toward the center halting on an invisible line. The lights were shut off and the only thing that glowed was the clock on the wall above my eyes. The lights came on again and everyone moved again closer to the metallic map of India on the wall with an empty chair in front. This map included Pakistan. Everyone pulled out a small mat to sit on and Javed and I followed the rest and sat down on the sandy ground. After a few moments the lights went off again. And just when I settled into meditation, the music began. Organ music that harkened Dracula movies, Andrew Lloyd Weber and for a few moments I was transported to temple. After 30 minutes the lights popped on and everyone got up and shuffled out of the compound.
Javed's take on the whole thing? "it's all crap. Who can meditate with all that distraction?"
With that said, we learned that this is where The Mother would sit and therefore a powerful place for all who attend. We were lucky to participate in the meditation. The exercise was the influence of The Mother bringing western style calistenics to keep the body healthy at the ashram. She also introduced the shorts. It is quite a shock to see women in shorts in India.
The toddering man with bowed legs, did not fall.
The Sri Aurobindo Ashram was the home of not only Sri Aurobindo but The Mother as well. The Mother created Auroville and it's her dream that keeps the place growing. She was french but came to India and became a spiritual guru to many.
We walked into the compound- a walled -in but open sky gymnasium. People lined the walls, some sitting some standing. In the middle , on the sandy covered ground were 10 or so devotees dressed in blue shorts and white crisp shirts. The women had white turban like hats on their heads. A bit Nora Desmond ala India. The devottees were all well over 60 and marched back and forth the length of the compound to barking orders in French. First they just went back and forth on their strong but spindly legs. I worried that one gentleman's legs would completely bow and he'd fall over. And then they began synchronized calistenics for a few counts follwed by marching and then a halt to continue the synchronized calistenics. All this orchestrated by the microphoned Un, Duex, Trois, Quatre.
What the hell was going on? This isn't what I imagined meditation to be. The marching stopped and all the people around moved into toward the center halting on an invisible line. The lights were shut off and the only thing that glowed was the clock on the wall above my eyes. The lights came on again and everyone moved again closer to the metallic map of India on the wall with an empty chair in front. This map included Pakistan. Everyone pulled out a small mat to sit on and Javed and I followed the rest and sat down on the sandy ground. After a few moments the lights went off again. And just when I settled into meditation, the music began. Organ music that harkened Dracula movies, Andrew Lloyd Weber and for a few moments I was transported to temple. After 30 minutes the lights popped on and everyone got up and shuffled out of the compound.
Javed's take on the whole thing? "it's all crap. Who can meditate with all that distraction?"
With that said, we learned that this is where The Mother would sit and therefore a powerful place for all who attend. We were lucky to participate in the meditation. The exercise was the influence of The Mother bringing western style calistenics to keep the body healthy at the ashram. She also introduced the shorts. It is quite a shock to see women in shorts in India.
The toddering man with bowed legs, did not fall.
posted by Jen at 5:19 AM
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